Event highlights Idaho’s native plants — including some that flourished millions of years ago

Residents are invited to learn about southern Idaho’s native plants — including those that flourished in the area millions of years ago — at a special event put on by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Thousand Springs Visitor Center in Hagerman.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the center, 17970 U.S. Highway 30.

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge staff will host a native plant station at the event that will enable visitors to learn about the refuge, native plants and how they benefit pollinators, according to a National Park Service press release.

Native plant seeds and planting materials will be available for members of the public to take home and plant in their yards. Visitors will also be able to view interpretive exhibits and learn about the native plants that existed in the area during the Pliocene era three to four million years ago that provided habitat for now-extinct creatures such as the saber-toothed cat, mastodon and ground sloth as well as more familiar animals like horses, beavers and birds, the press release said.

This is the first time that the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both agencies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, have collaborated to host a public event at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.

“We are excited to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help the public understand the importance of native plants in supporting wildlife, today and pre-historically, and how landscapes, plants, and the wildlife they support have changed over time,” said Michael Irving, chief of interpretation and education for national monument, in the press release.

Native plants that grow near the open water and wetlands at the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge, located about 12 miles northeast of Rupert, draw wildlife species from miles around, including birds such as geese, loons, and herons, and animals such as mule deer, foxes, and bobcats.

“The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument preserves one of the world’s richest sites for Pliocene-aged fossils,” the press release said. “The fossils found here represent hundreds of species of plants and animals; some are unlike any species living today, while others are the ancestors of species still found in the Hagerman Valley.”

The National Park Service is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Hagerman Fauna Site National Natural Landmark, which was designated in May 1975 in recognition of its internationally significant collection of fossils from the Pliocene era.

To commemorate the anniversary, the park service and the Idaho Museum of Natural History are hosting fossil exploration events at the Thousand Springs Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 16 and Aug. 20 and at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, located on the Idaho State University campus at 698 E. Dillon St. in Pocatello, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 2 and Aug. 6.

Participants will be able to see and learn about fossils and engage in hands-on activities.

Before traveling to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, visitors are encouraged to check current conditions by viewing the park website at https://www.nps.gov/hafo/index or calling the park Visitor Center at 208-933-4105.